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For first year students, developing academic research skills is like learning a new language; you need to start early and practice often. Taking a constructively aligned approach to embedding research skills in first year subjects means introducing students to key concepts early and allowing time and space to practice and rehearse skills in low risk settings prior to formal assessment. Furthermore students need the opportunity to demonstrate improvement after receiving feedback from their formal assessment.

This paper outlines how this approach to embedding inquiry/research skills was applied in a large first year education subject at La Trobe University in 2011 and then again in semester one, 2012. The approach used involves a partnership between academic staff and library staff and the paper discusses the advantages and outcomes of this model and poses questions in relation to application for other subjects and disciplines.